Pantagraph.com - Sports - Intercity football teams making adjustments

Even the coach of the state's top-ranked Class 6A football team has some concerns entering the second week of the season.

For Normal Community High School's Hud Venerable, those worries are magnified entering tonight's showdown against No. 9-ranked Bloomington in the annual Intercity Doubleheader at Illinois State's Hancock Stadium.

"We have a different group this year and we're going to have to bring this group along," Venerable said. "Unfortunately you want everything to be clicking on all cylinders every year by Week 2 because it's such an important game."

NCHS, BHS, Central Catholic and University High all opened with victories last week, while Normal West lost its season debut.

Here's a look at how the Intercity coaches assessed their team's first-week performances.

Bloomington

The Purple Raiders answered a lot of nagging questions by extending their winning streak in season openers to 10 with an impressive 42-0 Big 12 Conference win at Decatur MacArthur. BHS didn't need to punt while rushing for 245 yards and building a 341-106 edge in total yardage.

BHS averaged 5.8 yards per carry behind junior Darian Davis, who rushed for a game-high 88 yards. Senior quarterback Stephen Esch threw for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

"The depth of four tailbacks all running well was nice to see," said BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer. "I thought with four of the five linemen not having started last year, they performed relatively well. There's still room for improvement, but as they learn the plays they'll get more comfortable and their decision-making process will speed up.

"I thought both quarterbacks (Esch and junior Levi Johnson) showed good quickness on the option, but I think we can do a better job as far as throwing the ball."

Schmelzer was even more impressed with a defense that throttled the Generals' option attack.

"I thought our linebackers read well and filled quickly," Schmelzer said. "The defensive line was physical and did a nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage although our defensive ends need to do a better job. With a couple of more games under their belt, I think this team will be pretty good. "

Central Catholic

The Saints, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, rolled to a 40-14 Corn Belt Conference victory over visiting Eureka behind a balanced attack. Junior Ryan Waldron ran for 151 yards, and senior quarterback Kyle Hundman threw for 121 yards and two TDs as the Saints won their 28th straight season opener.

A veteran offensive line paved the way for the offensive fireworks.

"I thought our line was pretty solid all night," said Central Catholic coach Bobby Moews. "We controlled the line pretty well although I did tell them I expect that from them because they're all returning starters. I thought our defense played pretty well. We got good pressure on the quarterback.

"We need a lot of work on our special teams. That was probably the low spot of the night for us, and that's certainly something we've concentrated on this week."

Moews said he was "pleased overall" ahead of the Saints' Corn Belt battle against U High in the opener of the Intercity Doubleheader.

"I thought our kids played hard and we did fairly well," Moews said. "We did make some execution mistakes, but I hate to think our first game was our best game. It was a good building block and we just have to keep going."

Normal Community

The Ironmen cruised to a 34-0 Big 12 home win over Champaign Central behind senior quarterback Omar Clayton, who threw 204 yards and three TDs while rushing for 46 yards and another score. NCHS also blocked a punt and forced five turnovers, including four interceptions.

"The first game showed we definitely have a more experienced team on defense than we do on offense," Venerable said. "Our defense played like an experienced unit and our offense played like an inexperienced unit. We had a lot of people that played to the level we expected them to play.

"I think we're trying to expedite the process for some kids. To go from an inexperienced player to a confident, experienced player, that just doesn't happen overnight."

Venerable is looking for improvement in a running game that was held to 129 yards.

"There are about three things that make a running game," Venerable said. "First of all it's continuity amongst all 11 players, and I thought we were spotty with our continuity. Then it comes right down to knowing your assignment and having confidence in knowing who to block.

"Lastly it's physically getting off the ball and moving your feet. That doesn't just pertain to the line but to everybody who has a block to make on a particular play."

Normal West

The young Wildcats saw Champaign Centennial's Mikel Leshoure rush for 282 yards, including TD runs of 90 and 44 yards, in a 23-0 Big 12 road loss. West also had two second-half drives stall inside Centennial's 30-yard line.

"We just showed our age basically last week," said West coach Darren Hess. "Offensively when you get inside the 30 you need to put points on the board, and we didn't do that. Defensively we gave up too many big plays with Leshoure. We didn't have the intensity we probably should have had for the first game.

"Hopefully with a little bit of experience comes wisdom."

It wasn't a total washout for West, which will host Decatur Eisenhower tonight. Sophomore Darius Bell rushed for 101 yards. Junior quarterbacks Todd Albert and Ross Schmillen combined for 106 yards passing.

"We saw some good things," Hess said. "Darius Bell got better as the game went along, and defensively we didn't play too bad. We were on the field way too much, but we kept it close until the end and I was pretty happy about that. Our kids didn't give up."

University High

The Pioneers used great field position to reach the end zone on four of their first five possessions en route to a 34-0 Corn Belt triumph over visiting Olympia.

"I found out that our team can play hard for four quarters and execute well with a lot of guys on a varsity field for the first time," said U High coach Kurt Olson. "We had a few jitters early on but once we scored and our defense shut them down a couple of times we gained confidence.

"On the flip side I think the things we need to work on are blocking and tackling, but that goes with every year. We have to continue to improve on blocking with our guys up front. Defensively we need to work on wrapping up better."

U High unveiled a solid running attack, with 148 of its 180 total yards coming on the ground. Sophomores Max Hayden and Caleb Katz combined to rush for 110 yards and two TDs. Another sophomore, Vince Chiodo, also ran for two scores.

"I think the first game was more of a team thing," Olson said. "We've been preaching team the whole off-season, and all the guys really stepped up and came together, competed well and played well as a team."

Central Catholic vs. U High

Time: 5 p.m.

Site: ISU's Hancock Stadium

Records: Central 1-0; U High 0-1

Series: Central leads, 21-10, since Intercity Doubleheader started in 1975

Notes: U High will be the home team and its team and fans will be on west side; Central will be on the east side; Pre-game begins at 4:50 with Central Catholic band performing; U High band will perform at halftime

Bloomington vs. NCHS

Time: 7 p.m.

Site: ISU's Hancock Stadium

Records: BHS 1-0; NCHS 1-0

Series: BHS leads, 18-13, since Intercity Doubleheader started in 1975

Notes: NCHS will be the home team and its team and fans will be on west side; BHS will be on the east side; Pre-game begins seven minutes before the start of the game with BHS band performing; NCHS band will perform at halftime

Central Catholic vs. U High

Time: 5 p.m.

Place:Hancock Stadium

Records: Central 1-0, 1-0 in Corn Belt Conference; U High 1-0, 1-0

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230)

FYI: Central, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, opened last week with a 40-14 win over Eureka. The Saints hurt the Hornets on the ground with junior Ryan Waldron (151 yards) and through the air with senior quarterback Kyle Hundman (121 yards, two TDs). U High dominated on both sides of the ball in a 34-0 opening victory over Olympia. Sophomores Caleb Katz, Max Hayden and Vince Chiodo produced 130 yards rushing and four TDs. Central is seeking its third straight win over the Pioneers.

Quoting: "Their running backs are running hard and making people miss. Their line looks improved and they're getting off the ball. We have to stop their fullback (Hayden). That's the key to their offense because they're going to run that option at us. We're going to have to be very disciplined on defense." - Central coach Bobby Moews.

"Central Catholic is strong up front. They're big and physical and their skill kids have some speed. We're going to have to get some hats to the ball to slow them down. Offensively, we're going to have to block better if we want to move the ball at all." - U High coach Kurt Olson.

BHS vs. NCHS

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Hancock Stadium

Records: BHS 1-0, 1-0 in Big 12 Conference; NCHS 1-0, 1-0

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230)

FYI: Bloomington, rated No. 9 in the Class 6A state poll, racked up 245 yards rushing, led by junior Darian Davis with 88, in last week's 42-0 win at Decatur MacArthur. Senior quarterback Stephen Esch added 96 yards passing and two TDs. NCHS, ranked No. 1 in 6A, rolled over Champaign Central 34-0 behind senior quarterback Omar Clayton's 250 yards of total offense and four TDs. BHS looks to avenge two losses to the Ironmen last year. Raiders' running back Terry Bausley (26 yards last week) will be out two weeks with a sprained knee. NCHS fullback Cornell Caldwell has returned from abdominal surgery.

Quoting: "(Clayton) is a very impressive athlete. With his speed and size, we're going to have a hard time containing him every play, so that becomes our main issue. And with (Marcus) King and (Alex) Buck or whoever else is out there, they have some receivers that can stretch the defense." - BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer.

"I'm very impressed with Stephen Esch. He's a dual threat. They may have the best set of receivers in the Big 12 (David Cook and Josh Mitchell). When you have an athletic quarterback with talented receivers and good runners, it gives you a lot of things to think about as a defense. I'm also impressed with their defensive line. It will be a real challenge to block those guys." - NCHS coach Hud Venerable.

West vs. Decatur Eisenhower

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Normal West High School

Records: Normal West 0-1, 0-1 in Big 12 Conference; Decatur Eisenhower 0-1, 0-1

FYI: West looks to rebound from a 23-0 loss at Champaign Centennial. The Wildcats were led by 101 yards rushing from Darius Bell and 83 passing from Todd Albert, but had three second-half drives stall in Centennial territory. Eisenhower opened with a 25-15 defeat at Mattoon. Quez Patterson passed for a touchdown, returned an interception for a score and ran for a two-point conversion.

Quoting: "Eisenhower has a very athletic quarterback (Patterson) that can cause you problems, especially if he gets outside. They will run some option, but they will throw more than Eisenhower does traditionally. They're more athletic than they've been in the past. We'll have to be a little more balanced as far as how we attack them. We're going to have to throw the ball a little better or they'll just load the box." -- West coach Darren Hess.

Compiled by Randy Kindred

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new wrote on September 01, 2006 10:14 AM:"Do the schools take turns playing since there is a fifth high school in town? "

UHS wrote on September 01, 2006 9:10 AM:"GO PIONEERS GO!!!!"

CCHS wrote on September 01, 2006 8:38 AM:"GO SAINTS GO!"

BHS wrote on September 01, 2006 6:28 AM:"GO YOU RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEAT THE IRONMEN!!!!!!!!"

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